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Chinese New Year words

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Lucky New Year foods and what they mean

In ChineseWhy it is luckyThe wish
Fish鱼 yúSounds like 余 (yú), surplus年年有余 a surplus every year
Dumplings饺子 jiǎoziShaped like old silver ingots, 元宝招财进宝 wealth and treasure
New Year cake年糕 niángāoSounds like 年高, higher every year步步高升 rise step by step
Sweet rice balls汤圆 tāngyuánRound, like 团圆 (tuányuán), reunion团团圆圆 the family together
Spring rolls春卷 chūnjuǎnGolden, like bars of gold黄金万两 gold in plenty
Long-life noodles长寿面 chángshòumiànLong, uncut noodles长命百岁 a long life
Tangerines橘子 júziGold, and 橘 sounds like 吉 (jí), luck大吉大利 great luck
Prosperity cake发糕 fāgāoIt rises, and 发 means to prosper恭喜发财 may you prosper

The New Year

  1. chūn春jié节

    Spring Festival; Chinese New Year

  2. guò过nián年

    to celebrate the New Year (especially Spring Festival)

  3. xīn新nián年

    New Year

  4. nóng农lì历xīn新nián年

    Lunar New Year

  5. nián年wèi味

    festive feel of the Spring Festival

  6. chūn春yùn运

    Spring Festival travel rush

  7. chūn春wǎn晚

    Spring Festival Gala (short for 春节联欢晚会)

  8. běn本mìng命nián年

    one's zodiac year (every twelfth year)

The days of the New Year

  1. là腊yuè月

    twelfth month of the lunar calendar

  2. là腊bā八jié节

    Laba Festival (8th day of the 12th lunar month)

  3. xiǎo小nián年

    Little New Year (23rd or 24th of the last lunar month)

  4. chú除xī夕

    New Year's Eve (esp. Lunar New Year's Eve)

  5. dà大nián年sān三shí十

    Chinese New Year's Eve; last day of the lunar year

  6. dà大nián年chū初yī一

    first day of the Lunar New Year

  7. zhēng正yuè月

    first month of the lunar year

  8. chū初wǔ五

    fifth day of a lunar month

  9. yuán元xiāo宵jié节

    Lantern Festival (15th day of the first lunar month)

  10. zhēng正yuè月shí十wǔ五

    15th day of the first lunar month; Lantern Festival

Traditions

  1. nián年yè夜fàn饭

    New Year's Eve dinner

  2. tuán团yuán圆

    to be reunited; reunion

  3. shǒu守suì岁

    to stay up on New Year's Eve

  4. bài拜nián年

    to pay a New Year call; to wish a happy New Year

  5. zǒu走qīn亲qi戚

    to visit relatives

  6. huí回niáng娘jiā家

    (of a married woman) to visit her parents' home

  7. hóng红bāo包

    red envelope (gift of money)

  8. yā压suì岁qián钱

    money given to children at Chinese New Year

  9. qiǎng抢hóng红bāo包

    to grab red envelopes (online)

  10. fàng放biān鞭pào炮

    to set off firecrackers

  11. wǔ舞shī狮

    lion dance

  12. wǔ舞lóng龙

    dragon dance

  13. miào庙huì会

    temple fair

  14. nián年huò货

    goods for the Spring Festival

  15. jì祭zǔ祖

    to offer sacrifices to one's ancestors

  16. cái财shén神

    God of Wealth

  17. zào灶wang王yé爷

    Kitchen God

Decorations

  1. chūn春lián联

    Spring Festival couplet

  2. duì对lián联

    couplet (written on scrolls, hung on doors)

  3. fú福

    good fortune; blessing

  4. fú福zì字

    good-fortune character (posted on doors at Spring Festival)

  5. mén门shén神

    door god (image pasted on doors at New Year)

  6. chuāng窗huā花

    paper window decoration

  7. jiǎn剪zhǐ纸

    paper-cut; paper cutting (folk art)

  8. nián年huà画

    New Year picture

  9. dēng灯long笼

    lantern

  10. biān鞭pào炮

    firecracker; string of firecrackers

  11. yān烟huā花

    fireworks

New Year foods

  1. jiǎo饺zi子

    dumpling (boiled, crescent-shaped)

  2. bāo包jiǎo饺zi子

    to make dumplings

  3. yú鱼

    fish

  4. nián年gāo糕

    New Year rice cake

  5. tāng汤yuán圆

    glutinous rice ball (sweet dumpling in soup)

  6. chūn春juǎn卷

    spring roll

  7. cháng长shòu寿miàn面

    longevity noodles (eaten on birthdays)

  8. jú橘zi子

    tangerine; mandarin orange

  9. jīn金jú橘

    kumquat

  10. fā发gāo糕

    steamed sponge cake

  11. bā八bǎo宝fàn饭

    eight-treasure rice pudding

  12. guā瓜zǐ子

    melon seeds; sunflower seeds (as a snack)

  13. táng糖guǒ果

    candy; sweets

  14. là腊ròu肉

    cured meat; Chinese bacon

New Year wishes

  1. xīn新nián年kuài快lè乐

    Happy New Year

  2. gōng恭xǐ喜fā发cái财

    Happy New Year; may you prosper (Chinese New Year greeting)

  3. wàn万shì事rú如yì意

    may all go well (a wish)

  4. shēn身tǐ体jiàn健kāng康

    good health

  5. xīn心xiǎng想shì事chéng成

    may all your wishes come true

  6. nián年nián年yǒu有yú余

    may you have surplus every year (New Year greeting)

  7. dà大jí吉dà大lì利

    great luck and prosperity

  8. jí吉xiáng祥rú如yì意

    good luck and happiness (New Year greeting)

  9. bù步bù步gāo高shēng升

    to rise steadily; to be promoted step by step

  10. suì岁suì岁píng平ān安

    peace year after year (blessing, also said when something breaks)

What is Chinese New Year called in Chinese?

春节 (Chūnjié), the Spring Festival, or 农历新年 (nónglì xīnnián), the Lunar New Year; to celebrate it is 过年 (guònián). The next one falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, the start of the Year of the Goat, 羊 (yáng).

What are the traditions of Chinese New Year?

On New Year’s Eve, 除夕 (chúxī), the family eats the reunion dinner, 年夜饭 (niányèfàn), watches the Spring Festival Gala, 春晚 (Chūnwǎn), and stays up to see the year in, 守岁 (shǒusuì). From the first day people visit family and friends to wish them a happy New Year, 拜年 (bàinián), children get red envelopes, 红包 (hóngbāo), of 压岁钱 (yāsuìqián), and there are firecrackers 鞭炮 (biānpào), lion dances 舞狮 (wǔshī) and temple fairs 庙会 (miàohuì).

What foods are eaten at Chinese New Year, and what do they mean?

Most carry a wish through a pun. Fish, 鱼 (yú), sounds like 余, surplus, so it is served whole and some is left over: 年年有余, a surplus every year. Northern families make dumplings, 饺子 (jiǎozi), shaped like silver ingots; the south eats 年糕 (niángāo), New Year cake, which sounds like a year higher. Tangerines, 橘子 (júzi), and kumquats are gold and sound like luck, 吉 (jí).

What are the Chinese New Year decorations called?

Red couplets on both sides of the door, 春联 (chūnlián); the character 福 (fú), good fortune, often pasted upside down because upside down, 倒 (dào), sounds like arrived, 到 (dào): fortune has arrived. Then paper cuts on the windows, 窗花 (chuānghuā), red lanterns, 灯笼 (dēnglong), New Year pictures, 年画 (niánhuà), and the door gods, 门神 (ménshén).

What are the days of Chinese New Year?

It starts in the twelfth month, 腊月 (làyuè), with 腊八节 (Làbājié) on the 8th and 小年 (xiǎonián), the Little New Year, on the 23rd or 24th, when the Kitchen God 灶王爷 (Zàowángyé) is sent off to heaven. Then 除夕 (chúxī), New Year’s Eve, and 大年初一 (dànián chūyī), New Year’s Day. On the second day married daughters visit their parents, 回娘家 (huí niángjiā); on the fifth, 初五 (chūwǔ), people welcome the God of Wealth, 财神 (Cáishén); and the 15th, 元宵节 (Yuánxiāojié), the Lantern Festival, ends the New Year.

What should you not do at Chinese New Year?

Don’t sweep or take out the rubbish on the first day, or you sweep the luck away; that is why houses get their big clean before. Avoid unlucky words like 死 (sǐ), death, and breaking things: if a bowl breaks, say 岁岁平安 (suìsuì píng’ān), peace year after year, because 碎 (suì), broken, sounds like 岁 (suì), year.

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More for Chinese New Year

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; the date from the Hong Kong Observatory tables; the customs from Wikipedia’s Chinese New Year, and they vary by region and family.